Many Barcelona coaches have been known to opt for unconventional sporting decisions at times during their tenure at the club. Some managers end up achieving great success with their tactical tweaks and changes, while others succumb to their mistakes and end up angering a rather demanding fan base and club.
However, managers who tend to play it safe often do not reach any pedestals worth climbing. As such, the most recent of ideas in the head of Xavi Hernandez could be one that provides Barcelona some much-needed depth in a position with the Catalans are not quite fortified.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Xavi is considering the possibility of potentially adding Danish defender Andreas Christensen to the list of alternatives at his disposal for the central defensive midfield position currently being helmed by former Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu.
As per the report, Xavi and Barcelona consider that the 27-year-old Danish defender is a good choice to add as a backup to a position where Barcelona do not possess any specialists apart from Romeu. Alongside Frenkie De Jong and Ilkay Gundogan, Christensen thus becomes another asset for the pivot position.
His technical ability, aerial and physical prowess, as well as prior experience playing as a pivot for both Chelsea and the Danish National team are key contributors to their assessment by Barcelona coaches to consider him another alternative for that position.
Moreover, this is not the first time Xavi Hernandez has been interested in using a more technically gifted center-back as a pivot. Eric Garcia was also deployed with a similar understanding and while he did display particular strength in his own way, there was evidence on another occasion that completely dismantled the concept.
For now, Barcelona eagerly await the opening of the winter transfer window in order to reassess their possibilities of acquiring a pivot that could give Barcelona more depth to rely on rather than simply hope that Romeu does not end up sustaining any serious injuries that could eventually foil Barca’s entire set up.
A particular name that has emerged in recent weeks as a possible recruitment that Barcelona could pursue is that of Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo. The 17-year-old Corinthians player has been turning heads all over Europe and even attracted direct interest from the likes of Chelsea despite implications suggesting he would favor a move to Barcelona.
